March Round Up

March came and went as quickly as a sneeze! The year is flying by! It’s been an unusual month for me in ways; the weather has been a bit mental, and I managed to complete a goal I had set for myself that I genuinely feel has had such a positive impact on my life – scroll down to my March Goal Recap at the end of this post to see how the steps I’ve taken to reduce my screen time have changed my perspective on life!

I’ve also started back running again and I’m feeling just that little bit more positive about life in general lately – and I really do feel that my attitude towards my phone and the mindfulness book have had a huge role to play in this!

I hope you enjoy catching up on my month – I know that I am writing less on the blog but it’s not something I can apologise for. I’m really determined to not live my life through a screen anymore and just enjoy the real world instead of being consumed by it’s digital counterpart.

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March Reads

Self Development

I have been continuing with Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world.  I have also been reading The Happy Medium by Annemarie O’ Connor – a book that appears to be all about lessening our dependence on technology and becoming happier by doing the things that bring us the most joy. I’m taking my time with this book as there are many activities in it that I think are worth dedicating my time to.

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Fiction

This month I’ve read:

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This months challenge was to read 5 or 6 books – and I’ve successfully done that! Can I get a Whoop Whoop!!

Favourite Read

My favourite read was most definitely The Tattooist of Auschwitz. It was a very unusual read – for something that was written about something so horrific, there was a lot of hope. The book is based on events that took place in Lale Sokolov’s life, about his experiences in Auschwitz and how he not only saved the lives of others, but held out hope for his own, as well as finding love. It’s cold, it’s cruel, it’s real; but it also has an uplifting tone that inspired me to keep my head up and look for the silver linings in life.

Favourite Song:

I’ve had a few songs stuck in my head this month, but the one that I’m going to choose today for my song of the month is Next To Me by Imagine Dragons. I think this song is beautiful and encapsulates the concept of unconditional love for me… I hope you enjoy it!

Favourite Irish/Homegrown Song:

Cavalier by James Vincent McMorrow. A friend and I had a debate about what we think this song means and we’ve both got completely different ideas about it! Regardless, it’s a lovely song!

Favourite Album

An album that I’ve listened to a lot this month is Harry Styles’ album. There’s something very beautiful about his voice that I just love!

Favourite Beauty Product

Clarins Skin Detox Fluid BB Cream. This product has such amazing coverage – one little pump (which is pea sized) will cover your face and neck and lasts all day. It’s an excellent alternative to foundation and it’s relatively cheap at €34.

 

 

Favourite Movie

It hasn’t been a movie watching month I’m afraid…

Favourite Programme

The best show that I’ve watching this month is without a doubt Seven Seconds on Netflix. It is an excellent show that everyone needs to watch, exposing the reality of the racial injustices that exist within America (aka the land of the free) today.

Something I’m Happy About

I’m off to West Cork tomorrow with a friend and I cannot wait for the stillness, the solitude, and of course, the copious amounts of Gin that I will be consuming! (For those of you who enjoy gin, can I recommend trying out Gordon’s Pink Gin and mix it with Elderflower Tonic…. pure bliss in a glass!)

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March Goals Recap

Read 5 or 6 books: Goal achieved and I am delighted to have succeeded with this one!

Become smarter/ more mindful with my phone usage: This was a goal that I thought was a huge aspiration. I have slept with my phone in my room since I was 15 and at almost 30 years of age, I’m fed up of being so reliant on my phone.

Step one for me during this process was buying an alarm clock for my room. Instead of getting any old alarm clock, I decided to get a Hotweild Light Alarm Clock. This alarm clock wakes you up with a gradual light as opposed to sound, and it is something that I have found really aids my mood in the mornings.

My second step was to download an app called Moment from the app store. This app tracks how much time you’re on your phone, as well as reporting back and telling you what apps you’re spending the majority of your time on. It didn’t take me long before I upgraded to premium with this app. Premium enables features that include a bootcamp course that sets you little tasks each day that will help you to become more aware of your phone usage and ultimately reduce your screen time. It also has a feature that allows you to set a maximum screen time on your phone, and once you reach that limit you can set a tone that will go off, or you can even go to the extreme length of having your phone automatically turn itself off when the limit is hit.  It only cost me €5 for premium and I would highly recommend people giving this app a go if they’re considering reducing their dependence on screen time.

My third step was to simply leave the phone outside of my room at night time, which I started doing shortly before the midpoint of the month – and I haven’t looked back since!

Overall, I’m using my phone much less. I’m also using my laptop less, and this blog less. I feel like my FOMO is practically gone. My interest in social media has completely diminished. I’m sleeping better at night and I’m generally feeling happier. I no longer scroll through Snapchat and Instagram and compare my life to what I see on the screen – I simply live my life. My mindfulness and my awareness have increased hugely. I honestly think that this is possibly the best and biggest change I have made in my life in the last year and it is something I would highly recommend to you all…

Meditate Every Day: This is something that started off well but has faded in the last week as I’ve been off work for the Easter Holidays. I did get back on it this morning though and did a 10 minute gratitude meditation which set me up very nicely for the day ahead.

Stay on Track with Slimming World: I tend to fall on and off of this bandwagon very easily. I had two weeks that were completely off track and I gained 3.5lbs. I’m back on plan now though, and know that I will be off plan for the next few days as I’m away in West Cork but I really don’t mind that – I need to live my life too!

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I hope you are all having a lovely Easter!

With love,